Month: September 2013

We’ve had a brisk start to the week but some lovely 20-degree highs complete with sunshine are in the forecast. That’s some ideal fall growing weather! It’s also Organic Week, a time to celebrate all things organic. How do you plan to celebrate? With 2 small children, I can’t see myself traveling to a special event, but I think I can use one of the most powerful tools for change in our possession- our wallets. See, we can talk about organics, which is good, but purchasing organics shows that we value ecologically-produced items enough to purchase them, even if it costs us extra. Changing to everything organic may be a daunting task for you, and so it is for most of us. Why not make a small change in the right direction? You are clearly supporting organic by investing in a Farm Share.

What`s next?

Try purchasing something new organically that you have always purchased conventionally before. I find organic yogurt is pretty affordable, for instance. I can buy the Saugeen County brand, a whole litre tub, for $4, or just over. Also, you could ditch some chemical cleaning products. Vinegar really does work so well, and heated and combined with Dawn dish soap it makes a great tub cleaner. Baking soda and water works great on electric stove tops. This is one area where your disdain for chemicals will actually save you money (money that can help you purchase organic food ;). I am dying to try making my own dishwasher pucks or detergent. See this link for a recipe: http://thethriftycouple.com/2013/03/26/homemade-natural-dishwasher-detergent-easy-effective-healthy-and-only-05-per-load/

So, on to the veggie line-up. It`s stunningly colourful this week!

Half

rainbow carrots (they`re finally here!)

red beets

pepper squash

red cabbage

red radish

baby bokchoy

red leaf lettuce

grape tomatoes (from the greenhouse, all other tomatoes bit the dust with frost)

assorted sweet bell and sheppard peppers

sweet corn (grown by Kawartha Organics, Mennonite growers in Lindsay. Normally everything is grown by us but this week I was having a tough time getting all the items I needed and we had an abundance of local, organic corn)

Whole

rainbow carrots (they`re finally here!)

red beets

pepper squash

red cabbage

red radish

baby bokchoy

red leaf lettuce

grape tomatoes (from the greenhouse, all other tomatoes bit the dust with frost)

assorted sweet bell and sheppard peppers

sweet corn (grown by Kawartha Organics, Mennonite growers in Lindsay. Normally everything is grown by us but this week I was having a tough time getting all the items I needed and we had an abundance of local, organic corn)

fennel

celery

cilantro

green leaf lettuce

red swiss chard

green bell peppers

Recipes:

Are last week`s turnips still hanging out in your fridge? One of the hardworking staff packing your box suggests mashing it with beets to offset the bitter taste.

Turnip-Beet Mash

Directions

1. Roast beets with tops removed for 45 mins in the oven. Remove skins from cooked beets. Meanwhile, remove tops from turnips, clean, peel and chop and boil until tender. Mash beets and turnip together and season to taste. Experiment with different amounts of beet and turnip to see what you like best.

First frost of the season. It came rather early this year. We farmers watch the forecast with holy fear, playing a game of odds as we decide when to spring into action to defend our crops. Many things affect a frost other than temperature. Even temperatures above zero can cause burning out in the fields, especially on a clear, windless night. Monday night was a flurry of activity- harvesting all the squash and carrots we could get our hands on, covering eggplants and peppers in fabric forming mini greenhouse shelters, and turning on sprinklers in the wee hours of the morning. Most things seemed to have escaped harm, but that late crop of peas we hoped to harvest soon may never be.

Even the weeds can sometimes shelter plants. I feel rather satisfied as I harvest some green onions among weeds that have been charred by the frost. The bugs begin to die down, gratefully, aside from the friendly abundance of flies that seek shelter indoors. Root veggies like carrots and parsnips, as well as apples, fill up with sweet sugars in response to the chill. It’s a mixed blessing, something powerful and uncontrollable like a wave of the sea, propelling forward the one who is positioned well, and capsizing the one that is not.

Our adorably sized butternut squash testify to the way climate can vary the produce. Last year the same squash were too large to sell to retailers and ended up being sold cheaply to be pureed for baby food. This year the gap between the last frost of the spring and the first one of the fall was uncomfortably narrow. But still, some things grew beautifully and us farmers are nothing if not adaptable. I love this country and it’s worth living here, short growing season and all, to enjoy the freedoms we take as givens.

Phew! So summer’s having a little comeback this week. I hope you are enjoying the sun while we have it.

Half Share

Spinach

Beefsteak or Campari tomatoes

Carrots

Red beets

Savoy cabbage

Red or green scallions

Green peppers

Zucchini (yellow or green)

Turnip greens or green kale

eggplant

Whole Share

Spinach

Beefsteak or Campari tomatoes

Carrots

Red beets

Savoy cabbage

Red or green scallions

Green peppers

Zucchini (yellow or green)

Turnip greens

Eggplant

Campari tomatoes

Black or green kale

Spaghetti squash

Red sheppard or yellow bell peppers

Cantaloupe

Green leaf lettuce

Strawberries or apples

Leeks or garlic

This week I wanted to give you some ideas of how to use all of your veggies for the week, based on some of the tasty meals I’ve made with our veggies lately. I do not follow any specific diet except for the more veggies and unprocessed foods, the better, but I think most of these ideas could be adapted to vegetarian or gluten-free diets.

Hope these ideas get the wheels in your head turning. Here’s a tip if you are overwhelmed with tomatoes. Wash and put in the freezer in a bag, and simply pull out and use in your cooking later. I made a large watermelon and a few very ripe bananas into juice by throwing it all into a blender, doing a quick blend, seeds and all, and simply straining out the seeds and pulp. I also froze some juice for popsicles for my son.

Stuck with zucchini you don’t know what to do with. Try slicing and using the zucchini instead of crust (could work for eggplant also, though you might want to salt the slices and let them sit to reduce bitterness)

Overwhelmed with another watermelon? It makes wonderful juice or smoothies, or can be paired with feta and fresh mint for a delicious salad.

I’m about to try a spinach, tomato and quinoa frittata tonight. Feel free to add your own recipes in the comments sections.